Because Hollow Man --- a big budget, high-tech, special effects movie --- contains an annoying detail goof, it was difficult for me to suspend disbelief while watching it. Imagine, if you will, an intelligent scientist making a mask to cover an invisible man’s entire head, then cutting holes for eyes and mouth, but not for nostrils! Filmmakers didn’t catch this mistake soon enough, so Kevin Bacon’s character walks around without a way to breathe through his nose for most of the movie. No wonder he loses his sanity.

Maybe I’m being too picky, but I also had trouble accepting the peeping tom aspects of this sci-fi suspense thriller. Sebastian (Bacon), a scientific genius who discovers how to make animals invisible, decides to be the first human to experience the process. But does he use the gift of invisibility for any constructive purpose? Not at all. Instead, he spies on his former girl friend (Elisabeth Shue) and on other women in various states of undress. Eventually losing all sense of morality, Sebastian becomes a murdering monster. "It is amazing what you can do when you don’t have to look at yourself in the mirror anymore," he declares.

Fortunately, Hollow Man’s incredible special effects keep it from being a total waste of time. One extraordinary scene shows a huge invisible gorilla being brought back to the visual world. First, bright red liquid seems to flow through veins in thin air, then other layers of the body gradually appear until the animal is completely restored. Also, Sebastian’s various stages of visibility are remarkably well-done. When he leaves a swimming pool, water droplets cling briefly to his ephemeral shape as his form slowly disappears. And, after the final restoration fails, Sebastian appears as a mass of internal organs so gory it makes your skin crawl.

In addition to the film’s cutting edge special effects, Oscar-nominee Shue (Leaving Las Vegas) makes watching it worthwhile. As Dr. Linda McKay, Sebastian’s fellow-scientist and ex-lover, Shue projects both strength and vulnerability. When Linda tells Sebastian that the mystery man she’s now seeing is "Everything you are not," Shue’s voice is firm and definite. But after Sebastian retorts, "He must be dull then," Shue’s puzzled look makes us wonder about Linda’s true feelings. This glamorous actress has come a long way since Adventures in Babysitting. She gives one of her best performances to date as a woman who must defeat and destroy the man she once loved.

Although no match for Shue in this film, Bacon demonstrates once again his ability to portray evil personified. However, because his face is either covered or unseen during much of the movie, he’s not as effective as in The River Wild. Still, at the beginning of Hollow Man, his arrogant facial expressions and cocky walk help create a character on the verge of megalomania.

Josh Brolin (Flirting with Disaster ), playing the third member of the film’s love triangle, comes across as a welcome contrast to Sebastian’s insanity. His character doesn’t swagger when he walks or brag when he talks. He’s just a hard-working member of the team assigned to research invisibility. Even his physical appearance is more solid than Sebastian’s wiry frame (when visible).

Philosophically, Hollow Man raises some intriguing questions. If there’s no danger of being caught, will most individuals engage in illegal and immoral activities? Is there a universal moral code that motivates people to be good and just? Should geniuses be exempt from laws that others must follow? How far should scientists go in experimenting with human behavior?

Director Paul Verhoeven (Basic Instinct) calls Hollow Man "a precise study in evil." Because he grew up in Europe during World War II, this Dutch-born moviemaker must have a keen understanding of how a charismatic leader can become evil incarnate.

(Released by Columbia Pictures and rated "R" for strong violence, language and some sexuality/nudity.)